David Beckham recently joked that he will have to continue working simply to fund baby daughter Harper’s wardrobe.

The latest addition to the trend-setting Beckham family is already causing a fashion frenzy with many mothers spending hundreds of pounds trying to emulate Victoria Beckham and dress up their little ones in style.

New research has revealed that the average child under one has a bulging wardrobe packed with 56 different outfits – while one in eight now owns more than 100 garments.

Mothers feel pressured by the likes of fashionista toddler Harper Beckham and are spending an increasing amount on their child's wardrobe as a result

A typical tot’s wardrobe is worth an eye-watering £327 but not all items are even worn.

One of the main reason's for this is that the majority of clothing pieces are given as gifts: two thirds of parents questioned were given clothing they would ‘never dress their baby in’, while almost three in five admit throwing baby clothes in the bin as they didn’t like them or they weren’t practical.

Parents blame celebrity yummy mummies and dapper dads for their spending splurge with two
in five saying that seeing pictures of well-dressed celebrity tots including
Harper Beckham and Suri Cruise piles on the pressure for them to kit out
their own kids in designer fashions.

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One in 50 families splashed out on single baby items costing £100 or
more, including designer coats and cashmere cardigans and, despite the apparent
trend for ‘make do and mend’ in these thrifty times, two in five parents refused hand me downs
and insisted their little one wore brand new togs.

The
trend to dress babies as ‘mini mes’ is driving parents to spend more
money on clothing youngsters than clothing themselves.

Over a third
of parents polled admitted splashing out in excess of £100 on
outfits for the baby before it was born, compared to just a quarter who
spend the same on dressing themselves during the pregnancy.

The trend to dress babies as 'mini mes' is driving parents to spend more money on clothing just like when celebrities sport matching accessories with their offspring

However
despite forking out huge amounts on their offspring looking
fashionable, children's clothes have a much poorer ‘cost per wear’ than
adult’s wardrobes.

The study shows, on average, babies wear an item
just 12 times, only half of the 23 times their mother will wear each garment in her wardrobe.

In response to the baby fashion figures Marks & Spencer is calling on parents to recycle or ‘shwop’ more of their children’s baby clothing after the survey results.

M&S
spokesperson Mark Sumner, who carried out the research, said: 'This
survey shows that too many baby clothes are going to waste.

'We
want to give old and unused clothes a future and therefore encourage
all parents to shwop unwanted baby clothes rather than throw them in the
bin so they can be reused, recycled or resold by Oxfam.'

The study shows, on average, babies wear an item just 12 times, only half of the 23 times the average mother dons each garment in her wardrobe

Sarah Farquhar, an Oxfam spokesperson said: 'Baby clothes, especially unused baby clothes, retain a high value and therefore can be sold through our stores and find very grateful owners whilst at the same time raising crucial funds to support some of the world's poorest people.'

Mother and fashion stylist Anna Foster added: 'Even if you are given something you wouldn’t allow your child to wear in public, there’s absolutely no excuse to put it in the bin.

'Not everyone has the same taste, in fact one woman’s rubbish is another woman’s gold, so, whilst it may not work its way into your child’s wardrobe, there’s probably someone out there who would love to dress their little one in it.

'Through Shwopping we can make sure nothing ends up in landfill and that every unwanted item goes onto to have a future life.'